Constance of Austria
| Constance of Austria | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Pieter Soutman
|
|
|
Queen consort of Poland Grand Duchess consort of Lithuania |
|
| Tenure | 1605–1631 |
| Coronation | 11 December 1605 |
| Born | 24 December 1588 Graz, Austria |
| Died | 10 July 1631 (aged 42) Warsaw, Poland |
| Burial | Wawel Castle, Kraków, Poland |
| Spouse | Sigismund III Vasa |
| Issue among others... |
John II Casimir Vasa John Albert Vasa Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Opole Alexander Charles Vasa |
| House | Habsburg |
| Father | Charles II, Archduke of Austria |
| Mother | Maria Anna of Bavaria |
| Signature |  |
Constance of Austria (German: Konstanza; Polish: Konstancja; 24 December 1588 – 10 July 1631) was queen of Poland as the second wife of King Sigismund III Vasa and the mother of King John II Casimir.
Constance was a daughter of Charles II of Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria. Her paternal grandparents were Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary (1503–1547). Anne was the only daughter of King Vladislaus II of Bohemia and Hungary and his wife Anne de Foix. Her maternal grandparents were Albert V, Duke of Bavaria and Anne Habsburg of Austria.
Constance was also a younger sister of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor, Margaret of Austria, Leopold V of Austria and Anna of Austria.
Her older sister Anna was the first wife of king Sigismund III Vasa. After her death Constance and Sigismund were married on December 11, 1605.
They had seven children:
Queen Constance was an ambitious politician. Immediately after the wedding, she made efforts to influence policy. She built a strong faction of followers by arranging marriages between her handmaidens and powerful nobles. She represented the interests of the Habsburg family in Poland, and influenced the appointments of positions in the court, government and church. Her closest confidant was Urszula Meyerin.
...
Wikipedia